The present invention relates to seating in passenger vehicles, and more particularly, to a rear seat for a van or station wagon type automobile that can be configured so that the passengers can face forwardly or rearwardly, or lowered to provide a bed, or collapsed into a compact configuration for storage.
It would be desirable to provide a reconfigurable rear seat for a van or station wagon that can be readily adjusted so that passengers seated thereon can face either forwardly or rearwardly. Where there are two rear seats, configuring the two rear seats to allow the passengers seated thereon to face each provides a limousine style of seating. It would also be desirable in such vehicles to allow the rear seat or seats to be folded down into a horizontal configuration to provide a bed. It would be still further desirable to provide the capability for folding up such a rear seat so that it will occupy a minimum amount of space, thereby maximizing the cargo area.
In achieving the forgoing objectives, the re-configuragble seat must still meet the same requirements of conventional automobile seats. The reconfigurable seat must provide for seat belts, preferably of the shoulder type for maximum safety. The mechanisms that allow for reconfiguration must be simple, fast and reliable, yet durable and not subject to failures. Comfort must not be sacrificed for the reconfiguration capabilities.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,716,316 of Lanning discloses a seat rollable on channels inside an automobile. FIG. 4, and column 4, lines 76-84 indicate that the seat back 50 can be fixed in sockets 61 at the front of the seat to allow rearward facing seating.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,188,133 of Tewksbury discloses a removable and reversible seat for the trunk of a sedan type automobile.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,695,688 of Wize discloses a rear seat for a station wagon having a special linkage which permits the movement of the seat back and seat cushions between forward and rearward facing configurations, to an overlying configuration to provide a cargo area.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,856,347 of Bell et al. discloses a reversible seat structure made of a tubular framework and slotted brackets adjacent the hinge axis to adjust inclination.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,846 of Murphy discloses a reversible seat structure with a releasable lock assembly with upright support members which engage pins in the legs to hold the frame in first and second seating positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,785 of Plume discloses a pair of reversible bench type seats, one of which is longitudinally adjustable relative to the floor of the vehicle, which can be flattened and combined to form a bed. A mechanism is provided for giving the desired seat bottom rake of the seat cushions in either the forward or rearward orientation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,099,768 of Amos discloses a convertible seat bed system similar to that of the aforementioned Plume patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,860 of Garza et al. discloses a particular construction for a locking mechanism for a reversible bench seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,782 of Itoh discloses a folding seat design for a van.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,322,052 of Hodge et al. discloses an improved latch assembly for a reversible seat.